One, Perfect Day: Caryl one-shots
by VioletIsabelleLovett
Summary: One-shots centered around Daryl/Carol, some fluffy, angsty, or somewhere imbetween. All will be T-rated for the Dixon tongue, and possible suggestive themes.
1. Together

**A/N: This is my first Walking Dead fic! I just love the idea of these two together so much, I had to write something. Tell me what you think!**

Carol sat outside in the prison yard, staring across the grass as the breeze blew lightly, ruffling her short hair. As usual, a handful of Walkers wandered around the outside borders of the fence, snarling and moaning whenever they heard a sound. Carol barely noticed them. Across the yard, Carl was playing baseball with his dad, Glenn, T-Dog, and Maggie. It was nice- Daryl and Glenn had found some outdoors stuff and baseball equipment for everyone to play with on their last supply run. Carol had opted out of playing, since she had a headache that seemed to have persisted since Daryl ran out to gather more fuel for the cars.

She never felt quite safe when he was away, no matter how secure this prison seemed to be. She knew she was just being foolish- they could manage fine without Daryl, even if Walkers did somehow manage to break through the gates. It wasn't so much that she felt the group was more vulnerable without him..._she_ just felt safer. She glanced out to the road for what must have been the tenth time, hoping to hear the sound of his motorcycle roaring down the street. Nothing.

_Stop being so foolish. You're never this anxious when he's gone, what's gotten into you?_

The truth was, she just wanted to see him. To hear that rough, husky voice of his. They had grown close over the past few months. In reality, they had grown closer ever since Daryl had risked his life looking for Sophia, even if it had been in vain. And lately, she was feeling more and more alone every time he volunteered to go for supply runs, which was often.

She tried to focus her attention on the baseball game a little down the yard, feeling happy that Rick was finally enjoying himself with his son. Hershel was inside, resting. Lori, pregnant and watching the game from up close, was cheering her husband on as he goofily sprinted towards second base. Carol was glad that Rick and Lori were finally enjoying a stress-free moment with their son.

_But where was Daryl and why was he taking so long?_

He had only been gone for about twenty minutes. Carol sighed as the sun ducked in and out of the clouds.

_Enjoy the peace for now. God knows how long it's going to last._

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, admiring the nice day. She was suddenly jolted out of her daydream by the familiar sound of Daryl's motorcycle roaring down the road. Carl broke off from the game to hurriedly let him through. Carol couldn't help herself: a goofy grin spread across her face at seeing Daryl back...home. Yeah. Home.

She normally wasn't this excited to see him. He was around often, and there wasn't really any escaping his company, or anyone's company for that matter in this prison. So why was she so darn thrilled to see him when he hadn't even been gone for an hour? Maybe it was just the calm, peacefulness of the day putting her in an extra giddy mood.

Standing up and stretching, she made her way over to the gate to where Daryl was unloading a few small tanks of gasoline. Rick and T-Dog helped him unload, and siphon the fuel into the van and a few of the cars.

"We're playing baseball over in the field," Rick said to Daryl, motioning over to where the three bases were set up. "You should join us."

Daryl raised an eyebrow, causing Carol to chuckle a bit.

"I'm, ah, not much of a baseball player."

"Aw, c'mon Daryl. I'll play with you," Carol said, grinning and giving him a playful punch in the shoulder.

Daryl rolled his eyes. "I'm not playing."

T-Dog shrugged. "Whatever. Hey Carl, what's the score?"

"10-12."

"Aw, we're down by two! Let's go, I'm not letting this kid beat me again."

They laughed, and made their way back over to the field, bickering and teasing one another. Carol stood beside Daryl, watching them walk away.

"Care to join me? I promise, I won't make you play. I was actually just watching them from down the yard."

Daryl sighed, swinging his crossbow over his shoulder.

She took his hand, feeling a little nervous all of a sudden at the initiated contact. She knew Daryl did not like to be touched very often, even if it was just something as simple as a handshake or a pat on the back. She completely understood this, as her marriage with Ed had given her similar anxiety towards physical contact. But she allowed herself to tug at his hand, just a little bit, urging him to relax and come sit in the yard with her.

"Daryl, you look like you're about to have a heart attack. When's the last time you actually just sat and relaxed for a minute?"

He didn't answer, just averted his eyes from her gaze.

"C'mon. It's a nice day, and you've been running around like a chicken without a head all week. Take some time to enjoy it. For once, everyone seems to be having a good time...everyone except you."

"A good time? Right, because being constantly surrounded by a bunch of brain-munching bastards while having to live in a prison is always a load of fun. Count me right in."

Carol rolled her eyes.

"Come on."

Despite his grumbling, he allowed her to gently tug him into the yard where she had been sitting before. They sat beside one another, watching the game, and occasionally hearing cries of frustration and laughter from the two teams. They watched Maggie playfully shove Glenn slightly too hard, sending him toppling over. This, of course, sent them into a mock-fight that eventually lead to a full-blown kissing session.

"Maggie's a funny one," Carol said, smiling as Rick pulled them apart. "Real pretty, too."

Daryl shrugged. "She's alright."

"What, don't you like her?"

"I didn't say I didn't _like_ her, but she ain't all that pretty. I mean, I don't know, I'm not saying she's ugly or whatever..."

Carol turned to look at him, turning her head slightly, suddenly curious.

"Why don't you think she's all that pretty? She's probably the most gorgeous girl I've seen in a long time. Glenn's lucky to have her. She's smart, too."

Daryl shrugged again, staring out into the field. "I don't know. I've seen better looking. Didn't think it really mattered all that much."

"Hmm."

"What?!"

"Nothing!"

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Why are you so concerned all of a sudden on what girls I find pretty?"

"I was just curious. Alright, if you don't think Maggie is pretty, what about Lori?"

"What?! She's married!"

"What, so just because someone is married means you can't have an opinion on their looks?"

"Oh my God..."

Daryl laid down on the grass, setting his crossbow off to the side. Carol looked down at him, and saw he was trying to hide a laugh.

"Lori's okay, I guess. There. Happy?"

Carol laughed and laid down beside him, staring up at the sky. She liked poking at him like this, because she knew it made him laugh, even if he was a bit uncomfortable. For a little while, they both didn't say anything, just stared up at the clouds as they blew across the early May sky.

"I can't bring myself to believe that you haven't found at least one woman attractive this whole time that you've spent with us, Daryl."

He groaned. "Shut it."

"Daryl, you can't possibly have not found at least one woman in this group to be attractive."

"Maybe I have!"

Carol grinned. "I knew it! Who is it?"

"Why in God's name would I ever tell you?"

"Because if you really didn't want to, you'd pick up your crossbow and leave and then I'd feel like an idiot for making you mad. But you're still laying there. So who is it? Was it Andrea?"

"No."

"Oh...was it someone who-"

"No! Jesus, would you just shut up? It doesn't matter."

Carol sighed. Normally she'd feel stupid, but Daryl wasn't even making a move to leave, so it obviously wasn't bothering him that badly. But her curiosity was getting the better of her now. It wasn't Lori, or Maggie, or Andrea...and apparently it was not someone who died...so who did Daryl find attractive?

"Normally I wouldn't mind this, Daryl, but you don't strike me as the type that would be into guys-"

He raised an eyebrow at her, lifting his head off the ground.

"Are you honestly implying that I'm _gay_?"

She laughed, feeling heat rising into her cheeks.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to figure this out. You aren't into Lori, or Andrea, or Maggie, so that eliminates all the women, I just figured that maybe-"

"I'm not gay!"

"Alright!"

She really thought she had gone too far with that one, but he still didn't leave her side. She decided to stop pestering him about it. Daryl was not a man of emotional confessions, at least as far as she knew. They continued to enjoy the sun in silence, happy in each other's company at least for now.

"Alright, Jesus, do you really want to know?" Daryl said after what must have been almost twenty minutes. He propped his head up on his elbow so that he was facing her. Carol mimicked his position, smiling a little smugly.

"Why yes, I would like to know."

"A woman's curiosity is more goddamn scary than this fucking apocalypse, I'll tell you that right now. But uh...yeah, I like someone I guess."

Daryl could just _hear_ his brother's voice now, feeling his cheeks about to heat up.

_Ooooooh little brother! He got the hots for someone tonight, ahahaha!_

Suddenly concerned, Carol put a hand on his shoulder. The way he averted his gaze from hers, and how his voice trailed off into a mumble told her that this was more than just sexual attraction. He really cared about someone here.

"Is she still alive?"

"Yeah." He still didn't look her in the eye.

"You can tell me, if you want."

He looked up, finally meeting her gaze. He shook his head slightly, laughing quietly as if realizing he was about to do something really stupid. Before Carol knew what was happening, he was kissing her. It wasn't passionate, but it wasn't light either. He was hesitant, unsure of himself and what he would get in return. He pulled away after a moment, and Carol felt her eyes flutter open. He was inches from her face, looking anxious but determined. He was waiting for her response.

So she gave him one. More confidently, she kissed him back, moving closer so that she could feel his body head against hers. They forgot about the game, or the fact that almost everyone on the field had stopped to gape at them in surprise, and the fact that everyone they loved was either dead or far, far away.

Carol pulled away, resting her forehead on his and keeping a hand on his shoulder. She wanted to protect him, just as he had protected and looked after her when Sophia was missing. Because as much as he tried to hide it, he wasn't as cold or as confident as he seemed to be. She had seen the ugly scars on his back, and the way he would often curse his father, it wasn't hard to guess where they came from.

"You never gave up on my daughter, Daryl. Thank you," she murmured.

He opened his eyes, fully realizing the impact his determination had been to finding Sophia, even if in vain, had meant to her. He was still in disbelief that this was even happening. For once, everything didn't seem like it was going to shit. Things were working out the way he hoped. He had almost immediately regretted kissing her, thinking it impossible that she would even consider him...that way. But goddamn. She did.

He sat up, pulling her so that she was sitting in between his legs with her back to him. He rubbed her shoulders, the way she loved it, feeling her head rest against his chest. From across the yard, the baseball players were watching this interesting change in events.

"Congrats!" Glenn yelled, as the others chuckled to themselves.

"Yeah, shut up!" Daryl yelled back. He felt Carol laugh against his chest. Despite the fact that they now had an audience, Daryl put his arms around her, resting his chin on her head as the others continued the game.

"Idiots can't mind their own goddamn business..." he grumbled.

"Oh come on, you know you saw that coming," she said, taking his hand and squeezing it.

"Hm."

She gave him a small kiss. She never thought she would ever be truly happy again, not after watching Sophia stagger out of the barn as a...she didn't want to finish the thought, not now, not while Daryl had his arms protectively around her, as a silent promise that nothing was ever going to happen to her ever again. He had failed her once. He was not going to make that mistake ever again.

Everyone was happy that day. They had no trouble with the walkers all day, and had finally managed to enjoy themselves.

As they all made their way to their cells, Daryl and Carol lingered outside Daryl's cell. She took both of his hands, giving him one quick kiss goodnight.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled a little, and nodded.

As she went to walk back to her cell, he heard him call out her name, just loudly enough so that she could hear. She turned, her head cocked to one side.

"I, ah, will take you up on that offer now," he said, grinning a bit slyly. He scratched the back of his head, feeling a little nervous.

"What offer?"

"The night we came asked me if I wanted to screw around."

She didn't say anything at first, still processing what he had just said.

But before they knew it, he was grinning from ear to ear, and she was laughing, practically running over to him and crashing into his arms. He grabbed her hand, and they both stumbled into his cell for the night as the moon shone through the prison.

Needless, they didn't fall asleep for quite some time.


	2. The Morning After

**A/N: I was honestly so surprised to see such wonderful feedback on my first one-shot, that I decided to turn this into a collection! This was actually inspired from a post I saw on tumblr, and a request sent to me by someone on the same website. (If anyone's curious, I'll send the link.)**

**Just one note: these one-shots will all be centered around Daryl/Carol, but will not necessarily be related to one another. Some will occur with different situations/time periods than the others. I WILL try and take requests if you guys have any, so feel free to drop them in a review or my PM box! Thanks so much everyone, and I hope you all enjoy!**

Some mornings, Daryl would wake up and just absolutely hate his stupid, goddamn life. Especially since the apocalypse hit, or whatever they were calling this..._hell_. Surprisingly enough, this was actually much worse than waking up knowing his father had been drinking all night, worrying what kind of scars he would soon be adding to the collection on his back. Cigarette burns, fire pokers, knives...just when he thought he'd seen it all, his father would yet again surprise him. Sometimes Merle would protect him. Sometimes not.

But in all, mornings were never Daryl Dixon's favorite time of the day. Often times when he was younger, before the apocalypse hit, he'd wake up with a hangover, or some kind of weird hickey that he couldn't remember getting.

But this morning was different. So, so, much different. Blissfully, most incredibly different than any other morning in his entire life. And what made it all the more incredible was that the proof that he hadn't been dreaming was laying beside him right now, fast asleep with the blankets pulled up just past her bare chest.

Carol.

He carefully turned on his side to face her, very gently so that he wouldn't wake her. She was breathing lightly, her short gray hair slightly ruffled. Overall, she looked very peaceful. Daryl sighed, gnawing on his lower lip, suddenly frustrated with himself. What the hell had he been thinking? God knows what Carol was going to think when she woke up.

They hadn't really been...dating, or anything like that. Hell, they spent so much time together by themselves, but the most intimate they had ever been was a comforting hand squeeze, or a shoulder rub. He knew he had really liked her for a long time, more than he should, and more than he knew was safe for himself or for her. But how had it come to this? Holy shit, he could practically _hear_ Merle's voice now if he were to find out, which was likely since he was now staying with them.

_Yee-dawgy little brother! Looks like someone had quite the, ah, _experience_ last night if I do say so myself._

Just thinking about Merle finding out made his cheeks flare.

He turned his attention to Carol again, trying to block out the thought of his idiot brother and his perverted comments he loved to direct towards him.

Daryl sighed again, laying back down to stare at the dull, gray ceiling. He had really screwed up this time, and he could feel the familiar tendrils of self-hatred creep into his system.

_I'm such a fucking dumbass. She won't be able to look at me for months, assuming we even live until then._

But she had consented, more than consented really, she seemed to have enjoyed it as much as he did, practically demanding more. But that was when she wasn't thinking, wasn't going over how what they were sharing could affect them later.

If it would affect her at all. Which he knew that her not feeling anything from last night was going to kill him in a way that no walker bite could. He turned his head, gloomily watching her sleep and fighting the urge to punch the cell wall, or throw his crossbow over the balcony.

He had done this with many other women, most whose names he couldn't even remember. They were all the same, and he never had any sort of feelings for a single one of them. Some girl he found at a bar while he was half-trashed, or some friend of a friend's who happened to be wearing a lot of makeup that night. Those kinds of girls.

He never woke up the next morning hating himself like this, worried that he was screwing everything up.

_I don't deserve you. I never fucking will._

He groaned quietly, covering his face with his hands. He didn't want to think about how much he cared about this woman, or how beautiful she was, or how she seemed to have wanted him as much as he wanted her. How she had whispered his name when the darkness had almost completely covered her face and body. How he had kissed her neck, her jaw, her shoulder-

_Stop, just shut up shut up shut up for God's sake! You're going to have to man up and apologize. Tell her it was a mistake. Tell her you're sorry. Keep away from her from now on, she doesn't need you anyway. She has Rick and Maggie and Glenn to look after her. Leave the prison. You screwed up once anyway. You couldn't even find her little girl in time._

Yes, he knew that's exactly what was going to have to happen. Leaving was going to be best. Maybe, if he was lucky, she would stop hating him sooner if he was gone.

Sounds echoed easily inside the prison that, to him, was seeming more and more everyday like an actual imprisonment. As far as he could tell, nobody was awake. He could leave a note and slip out right now if he wanted to. Leave this mess before he even got himself further into it. Merle would be more than happy to come along.

_No. You can't do that, dumbass, not with Rick's kid and the baby you gotta look after. _

It wasn't like he _owed_ them anything for God's sake. He had saved their asses more times than he could count. He had every right to leave if he wanted to.

But deep down, he knew that wasn't going to happen. He was too much of a goddamn goody-two shoes, as his brother always loved to say, when it came to this sort of thing.

Sometimes Merle's advice came at the most unwanted and unneeded of times.

He heard her mumble a bit in her sleep, her face screwing up into a slight grimace. God only knew what she could be dreaming about. What did you dream of when you watched your only daughter go missing for over a week, only to find her again as one of those monsters from hell, only to be shot right in front of your eyes? What would _he_ dream about if it were _her_ or _Merle-_

_No, shut up! Just stop it!_

She was whimpering in her sleep now, her lips slightly parted, tossing in her troubled sleep. Concerned, he gently shook her shoulder.

"Carol...Carol, wake up." He shook her again.

Her eyes fluttered open, and a sigh of relief escaped her lips as she came to realize that whatever she had just experienced in her dream wasn't real. Slowly, she turned to face him, a grin spreading across her face.

"Hey."

"...Hey."

She kissed his cheek, putting her arms around his neck and resting her head on his bare chest. This was nice.

"Hey Carol?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm...uh...I'm sorry..."

She frowned, turning her face towards his in concern.

"Sorry for what?"

He sighed. "I don't know. Just forget about it."

"Do we need to...stop?" she asked, wondering what he could possibly be thinking right now. That...moment...last night, it wasn't exactly something she planned. She always knew she loved Daryl, ever since he had shown so much concern for her daughter, a young girl that wasn't even his. But how could she possibly get into his head? What was he thinking?

He uncertainly placed a hand on her cheek, desperately trying to somehow convey that he _did_ love her, and he _did_ care about her more than almost anything on this godforsaken planet, but how were you supposed to tell someone that without scaring them away?

She smiled, placing her hand on his. She chuckled, shaking her head slightly.

"What are we doing, Daryl?"

He sighed. "I don't know. If this is too much..."

She frowned again. "No...no, it's not, I-I was just worried that...it was...too much for you. I mean...I just don't..." she trailed off, feeling her cheeks go red.

Maybe he was wrong. She did want this...whatever _this_ was becoming. But how were you supposed to ask a woman that? Do you just come out and say it?

So for the time being, they laid there together in the small, slightly cramped bed without saying a word. He stroked her hair gently, feeling her light breathing against his chest.

"It'd be nice if we never had to get up..." she murmured, chuckling a bit.

"Hey, if it's out there that you're worried about, I ain't gonna let nothing happen to you, you understand?"

She smiled in response. Of course, she knew that. She never had any reason to doubt him. What happened to her daughter was completely outside his control. But she wasn't thinking about that now. She had no need to.

"Did I ever tell you?" she asked.

"Tell me what?"

"That I love you," she said, as if it were obvious.

He blinked, momentarily frozen with surprise at the simple words, stated as if they were facts to be learned in a history book. Carol told things as they were, straight and up front. It was one thing Daryl had always secretly admired about her. The few times she had raised her voice at Rick, he had to turn his head away to hide a laugh at Rick's sudden look of pure surprise. Meek little Carol wasn't as meek as she seemed. So he didn't doubt what she was saying, not for a second. So why was it so goddamn hard to say it back?

_Spit it out you asshole, she deserves at least that much! _

He loved her. He knew that. But the simple act of saying it was so much harder than believing it.

_What if she doesn't believe me? Her former asshole of a husband must have told her that he loved her too._

What he'd give to have the pleasure of putting an arrow through that fucker's brain. He almost wished he could have found Ed stumbling around as a walker after he died, just so he could kill the man himself.

No. Ed never loved her or her daughter.

_I love you. _I _love you._

"You don't need to tell me anything. I...love you too."

_'Atta boy little brother! _he heard Merle jeer in the back of his head.

_Fuck you._

Carol smiled, closing her eyes again as he wrapped his arms around her.

_I need a new sub-conscious, _Daryl thought as he drifted back asleep. When they woke again, they got dressed, if not a bit awkwardly in each other's presence. Carol had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the blush spreading across Daryl's cheeks as he pulled on a t-shirt, knowing she was watching from the corner of her eye.

Before they left to join the others for breakfast, Daryl took Carol firmly by the shoulders, making sure she was looking him directly in the eye. He needed to make sure she heard exactly what he was telling her.

"Listen to me. I am _not _Ed. I will never, _ever _lay so much as a finger on you unless you want me to. That-that asshole never loved you. _I _love you, Carol, do you understand me? And I know, I _know _I've screwed up a lot, and-and I can be a goddamn loud-mouth sometimes, but I mean it, Carol. I wouldn't lie to you and you know that. No one is ever gonna do to you what that stupid excuse of a man did to you and your daughter. I won't _let_ that happen to you, even if...even if this doesn't work out in the end. You got that?"

He saw her eyes fill up with tears. But they were tears of gratitude, hell, they were tears of _relief._ How long had it been since she had fully trusted a man her age with something like this? That she had loved in return? She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"_Thank you," _she whispered. He nodded shortly in response.

Together, they walked downstairs to join the others for breakfast.

_What, no words of wisdom, older brother? _Daryl thought, as he caught sight of Merle from his respected cell. For once, Daryl heard nothing.

He intended to keep it that way.


	3. This is What the Devil Brings

**AU: In which Carol accompanies Daryl to find his brother, Merle, on the day he was killed by the Governor.**

Carol gripped the edges of the Bible tightly, reading over a Psalms passage in the quiet of her cell. But she couldn't focus on it, no matter how hard she tried. The words, which she knew were supposed to comfort, seemed to mock and sneer at her as if they were actual human faces. She had never been a woman of immense faith, but lately all her belief in the once holy passages seemed to have vanished and faded for good. She scowled and angrily tossed Hershel's Bible on her cot, burying her face in her hands. She had been in a bad mood all day.

She heard hurried footsteps outside her cell, and a sudden _clang! _of something heavy dropping. The quick slurry of colorful swearing told her it was none other than Daryl. A little concerned, she cautiously left her cell and peeked around a corner.

"_Goddammit! _Aw, you know what? Screw you!" He pointed an accusing finger at the crossbow. "Stupid piece of shit. You were too heavy anyway."

Carol realized, with much amusement, that he was talking to his crossbow, unaware she was listening. With a grumble of irritation, he picked it up and slung it over his shoulder again.

"You alright?" Carol asked hesitantly, stepping out into the hallway. He nearly jumped, whirling around to face her in shock.

"You know, talking to inanimate objects tends to be a sign of schizophrenia, especially if in excess." She gave him a small smile to let him know she was teasing.

Whatever hurried, anxious mood he was in seemed to have faded ever so slightly. He snickered, lifting the corners of his mouth in a small smile.

"Well sign me up for the crazy club then. And here I thought I was already VIP."

He turned to leave again.

"Where are you going?" she called after him as he went to go downstairs.

He sighed. "Merle's been gone for awhile. I'm going after him. I'm worried about that Governor getting anywhere near him...he's just been gone for too long."

"Daryl, that's too dangerous. You can't go alone." She walked towards him, seeing the look of exasperation on his face. She hated it when he did this, trying to take on every responsibility by himself. Shd knew it was his brother, but she felt like it was just something else he felt like he needed to do alone.

"Look, I'm not about to go raid the town or whatever. Merle went to that warehouse just north of here, and didn't tell me why. I just need to make sure he didn't get into anything stupid."

"Let me come with you then. Just in case." Part of her reasoning was to get away from the depressing cells for a little while, but she mostly wanted to make sure he was okay. Things were more unpredictable than they ever had been before, with the Governor constantly on their every last move.

He sighed, but didn't seem in the mood to argue. He motioned for her to follow as they made their way outside. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he did enjoy her company. She was kind to him, and didn't treat him like the outsider of the group. Together, they quickly walked outside to where Daryl's motorcycle was parked. Without another word, Carol climbed on after Daryl, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

The sun was just beginning to set, and a cool wind blew across the countryside as the motorcycle roared to life. Carol tightened her grip, a little nervous, as she had only ridden on a motorcycle once before. Sensing her sudden anxiety, Daryl chuckled, rolling his eyes. Of all the things to be nervous about...

But then he remembered Merle, and soon worry was eating away at his stomach as they rode away from the prison to the warehouse.

_The idiot's got a sword for a hand. He'll be fine._

Against walkers. He'd be fine against walkers. But against the Governor?

_Just shut up. He'll be fine. He may be an idiot, but he's not stupid when it comes to taking care of himself. _

Daryl huffed out a sigh as they sped down the quiet road, occasionally seeing walkers stumble out of the woods at the roar of the motorcycle. He had a bad feeling bringing Carol along, and was regretting it more and more as the warehouse came into view.

_This isn't some goddamn suicide mission, just relax! She's not helpless._

The motorcycle skidded to a stop just outside the warehouse, sending gravel flying in all directions. They hopped off quickly, immediately scanning the area for walkers. The roar of the motorcycle was bound to have attracted some immediately. Carol quickly took down one, an older woman, stumbling towards them from across the street with a knife to the skull and shoving its body off to the side.

"Lets make this quick," said Daryl. "His car is in the driveway. He's still here."

Carol nodded, scanning the area for any sign of Daryl's brother. , she moved into the long grass just off the driveway. Bodies, fresh ones, laid on the ground. She didn't like the look of it, especially seeing that these bodies hadn't been long-rotted walkers shot down by some wanderer. These people had clearly died while they were still alive, and just recently. She frowned, about to inform Daryl of her discovery, when she spotted a walker eating one of the fresh bodies about fifteen feet away. Grimacing, she went to take it out just as it looked up and spotted her.

Her blood went icy in her veins. Carol felt that horrible, familiar, sinking feeling. The feeling you only ever got when you saw someone you once knew look your way with the eyes of the undead. Everyone in the camp was familiar with it. It was a hopeless, drowning sensation that left you almost completely immobile for a few seconds before the shock wore off.

Carol felt it for the second time in her life as she watched what was once Merle Dixon look up, his eyes almost burning into hers as whatever was left of his brain registered movement in front of him. He staggered to his feet, grunting and hissing as he lurched forward. A cry of despair escaped Carol's throat, immediately causing Daryl to come rushing to her aid from inside the warehouse, crossbow brandished.

"Carol!" he yelled, only seeing her stare in horror at a corpse lurching forward, with her knife shaking in her hands. He was confused for a second, why wasn't she just attacking the stupid thing-?

Then he saw that the corpse had a metal spear extension coming out of its arm where its other hand should be, and it hit him like a bucket of ice water. Merle. Of course it was his brother.

He dropped his crossbow and ran towards his brother, feeling his legs no longer fully supporting him. Hearing the footsteps, the shell of his brother turned to face the new source of the sound. Now face-to-face with him, Daryl stopped dead in his tracks. Carol couldn't move as Merle now staggered towards his brother, watching as Daryl's face screw up into a tortured grimace. Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.

"Daryl-" Carol made a move towards him.

He roughly shoved the corpse away from him, a sob escaping his throat. Merle stumbled back, but regained his footing and came after him again, snarling and groaning, his eyes completely blank. Daryl shoved him away again. Rushing over, Carol tried to pull Daryl away before the corpse could reach him, but he shoved her off, causing her to lose her footing and stumble to the ground. With an angry cry, he grabbed his knife and plunged it into his brother's skull, again, and again, and again, even after he had stopped moving. Carol scrambled to her feet, hurrying over to him and gently pulling his arm away. She pried the knife from his fingers. He barely seemed to notice she was there.

His whole body was shaking with silent, barely controlled sobs. He tore his eyes away from his brother, his knees buckling. Carol only just caught him before he hit the ground, grunting from his heavy weight. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, easing him to the ground as gently as she could just as he had done to her when Sophia had come stumbling out of the barn. He was in some sort of mindless, numb rage, lunging for his knife, intending to attack his brother again. She quickly grabbed it and tossed it out of his reach. Carol felt like she was only making things worse, but she couldn't let him mutilate his brother's body. He would only regret it later.

_He doesn't even realize what he's doing. I don't think he even knows it's me that's holding him back._

He finally gave up and drew his knees into his body, hiding his head inside of them, refusing to look at her or anything else. She carefully stepped away from him, knowing physical contact was only going to make things worse. Placing his knife securely in her belt, she took his crossbow and placed it by her side a ways back from Daryl.

She felt nauseous with dread over what would now become of him. The sun was setting low behind the trees, and she knew they needed to get back to the prison before the others started to worry. But what were they supposed to do with Merle's body? Burn it? Bury it? Just leave it? She bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood, glancing over at Daryl who hadn't moved an inch aside from his heavy breathing.

"Daryl," she said softly, carefully approaching him as one would a wounded animal. "Daryl, we have to go. It's getting dark."

He didn't move.

"Daryl," she said more firmly. She gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to bury him before we go?"

_God, I am so sorry, _she thought_. I am so, so sorry._

He stood up abruptly, startling her. Without another word, he grabbed his crossbow and stalked over to the motorcycle.

"Let's go," he snapped without turning to face her. She quickly followed him without question, knowing it was the only thing to do. She climbed onto the motorcycle, wrapping her arms around his waist as he kicked-started it to life. She gave Merle's body one, final glance before they sped away. She planned to let Rick know about the incident, and return to bury Merle's body tomorrow.

Rick had been about to come after them himself by the time they got back. Daryl pushed past him, going directly to his cell without a word of explanation. Rick didn't need Carol to explain: her facial expression said it all. He covered his face with his hands, shaking his head in disbelief. She told him they would discuss it in the morning, and he agreed.

As she laid in her cell that night, Carol kept having to tell herself that the best thing to do for Daryl was leave him be. She knew that his best consolation was with himself. Over the next few weeks, she told herself, she'd be _there_ for him in whatever way she could. A word here and there, a smile, a joke, sitting beside him around the fire at night. Little things to let know that he wasn't alone, nothing more than what they did already. Daryl would only find comfort with himself, no matter how much every inch of her ached to hold him, to tell him it would be okay even though they both knew nothing ever would be. She just wanted to wrap her arms around him and just hug him tightly as she always did with her daughter.

_But you love him so much differently than Sophia. You know that._

A tear leaked down her cheek at the thought of her daughter, Merle, and everybody else who had died and had to come back as one of those monsters from hell that took on the face of those you loved after they were gone. Carol sat up in bed, her distressed, upset thoughts immediately turning into anger. She sighed, remembering she still had Daryl's knife in her belt.

_I should probably give that to him..._

_It can wait till morning._

_Oh well._

She stood up, carefully tip-toeing down the hallway to where Daryl's cell was. As she suspected, he was still awake, laying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. She carefully tapped on one of the bars, smiling faintly as he looked up. He locked his eyes with hers for a moment before hastily turning away.

"I have your knife," she said, holding it up for him to see. He stood up and wordlessly took it from her, nodding in thanks. Carol watched him place it in his belt, wondering if he was going to say anything to her. As she turned to leave, he called her back, softly. She turned, gazing at him in concern.

"Thanks," he murmured. "For...for not letting me...do that..."

She nodded. "Of course."

She turned to leave again, but he placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her around to face him once more. Hesitantly, he leaned down and placed a small, quick kiss on her mouth. He sighed, and she smiled. She pulled him into a tight hug before returning to her cell, feeling both happy and very, very sad all at once.

_The world is unfair. No one knows that better than us, _she thought as she drifted off to sleep.


	4. Hey Jude

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm sorry this is late! Enjoy! Feedback is always appreciated.**

**-Set three years after Judith Grimes' birth-**

If there was one thing that never, ever failed to make Carol laugh, it was how Judith, who was now somewhere around three years old, called Daryl "Uncle Doll". Carol and Rick had taught Judith to call Daryl "Uncle Daryl" since she could talk, but she could never pronounce it correctly. So, from the time she was two, it was always "Uncle Doll".

Much to Daryl's irritation, now the entire group was using Judith's nickname. Glenn had been the first one to do it, and the look on Daryl's face had sent Maggie and Carol into fits of uncontrollable laughter. Quickly enough, the entire group caught on. Carol thought Daryl was going to scream.

Judith was the only one whom Daryl permitted to call him that. Still, Carol couldn't help but laugh at Daryl's expression of pure exasperation whenever anybody but the little girl utilized the childish nickname. She did notice, however, that his patience with Judith was endless. While Beth and herself would often get tired and worn-down by her crying that often went late in the night, Daryl always wanted to step in and take her. His gentleness and soft words were so unlike him, Carol would often stop and stare as he rocked her or fed her.

He, of course, still called her "Little Ass Kicker". Carol found this out when one day, Judith came hurrying down the steps during breakfast, her brown curls bouncing in her excitement. She had a silly grin on her face as everyone stopped what they were doing to see what she was so excited about.

"Unc-uncle Doll said dat my name in't Judif!" she panted, out of breath from her excited sprint down the stairs. "I'm Little Ass Kicker!" And with that, she jumped into a goofy fighting stance, balling her tiny hands into fists and putting them up by her face. The mock-angry expression on her face sent everyone, even Rick, into hysterics. From up above on the balcony, Daryl was already in tears of laughter.

Caring for Judith was a group effort. While Rick was her true father at heart, the entire group was her family. Even as time went on, it still pained the group every day that little Judith would never meet her mother. Carol didn't want to ever be called "Momma" or "Mommy", but at Rick's insistance, Carol quickly became "Momma Carol", just as Beth became "Aunt Beth" (however, to Judith, it was "Momma Car" and "Aunt Beff").

And, of course, Daryl was "Uncle Doll".

But what warmed Carol's heart more than anything was Judith's relationship with Daryl. Rick had so much responsibility, even after three years, and could not be the active father figure in her life as much as he wanted to be. He had come to accept this, and no longer felt saddened or angry with himself whenever he saw Daryl outside, playing ball or "monster" (her new favorite game) with her. To Carol, seeing Daryl this way was shocking. For as long as she'd known him, she had never seen him act so...warm. Or fatherly. Of course, he was still Daryl Dixon, and sometimes accidentally let a few choice swear words slip around her.

The group had lost track of the months and days years ago, but Carol estimated it must have been sometime in late April or early May by the warm weather. Daryl, Glenn, and Maggie were outside. Maggie and Glenn had wandered off somewhere, and Daryl and Judith were playing with a ball outside. Carol stepped outside and leaned against the door entrance, watching the two of them. It had been a while since Daryl and Judith had spent any time together, and it was nice that he was happy to play her goofy, childish games. She walked out to the yard, giving Judith a hug.

"Momma Car do you wanna play too?" she asked hopefully. "I-I'm tryin' to to hit Uncle Doll with the ball and he always falls down!"

Carol glanced at Daryl, who just chuckled and shook his head.

"Watch!"

With that, she chucked the ball as hard as her tiny arms would allow her, hitting Daryl in the chest. He gave an exaggerated cry of mock anguish, stumbling to the ground.

"You got me again, squirt!"

She laughed in delight, running over and pounding her tiny fists into his stomach, giggling and laughing.

"Auuuugh! Oh no! Little Ass-Kicker strikes again!"

Carol laughed, shaking her head. "Hey Judith, do you mind if I talk to Uncle Daryl real quick? I'll let you guys finish your game real soon."

"Okay!" she stood up and kicked her ball as hard as she could in the direction of the prison.

"Lil' Ass-Kicker saves the day!" she cried, and ran after the ball. Carol laughed, and Daryl shook his head.

"Kids."

They stood there for a moment, watching Judith kick the ball around in silence. After a moment, Carol spoke.

"I was talking to Rick," she said. "About Judith. She's been asking a lot of questions...about the walkers."

"Wouldn't surprise me," he said, turning away from Judith to face Carol. "I mean, God, it's been years since we've had anything we couldn't handle. But everyone still talks about it. Has she even seen any walkers before?"

"Not up close, but she has from a distance. They scare her. She was frightened by them. We forget that this has been...life, for us, for the past five years. But no one's ever really explained what those things are to her."

"She's three years old, Carol. What the hell are we supposed to tell her?

"I know, and that's my point. But she hears Glenn, or her father, or you and I talking about them from time to time and she picks up on things. She's smart. She asked me if they were come into the prison and get us. What was I supposed to say?"

Daryl sighed.

"But she told me that you could scare them away. You have a better bond with her than even her father does, Daryl."

Daryl stared at her. "What?"

Carol frowned. "Haven't you noticed?"

"No...I mean, I care about the little squirt," he said, shrugging. Feelings were never an easy topic for Daryl. "But...I'm not her father. I can't be her father."

"But you are, in a way. And Rick appreciates that, even if it does hurt that he can't be there for her as much as he can or should. You're the father that Rick can't be. She feels that every time you two play together.

It had been many years since Sophia died, but yet Carol knew she didn't need to mention how much of a father he had been even to Sophia.

Daryl looked frustrated. "What are you saying? I'm no father to anyone! I care about that kid, of course I do, but I'm no dad!"

"Daryl, no one's expecting anything from you. I just want to make sure you realize that you're important to her.

"I don't want that responsibility of being called dad."

"All I'm saying is what she looks like to you," Carol said gently. "When the time comes, it's going to be you that she'll call to chase the nightmares away...the ones that are real, and in her imagination. Rick is trying so hard, but you know what position he's in even now."

Daryl had been focusing so intently on Carol, that neither one of them noticed Judith wander closer and closer to the outside fence. From the time she could walk, there was one rule that was drilled into her over and over and over again: stay away from the fence. Over the years, the group had almost successfully cleared out the area of about fifteen miles of any walkers. But it was not uncommon that a few stragglers would wander near the secure perimeter of the prison from time to time. So above all, the rule to stay away from the fence unless there was an adult. This was the most important rule, and whenever she was outside, everyone agreed that all eyes were to be on her. They had been successful in this so far; there hadn't been a single close call yet.

The piercing scream sent a wave of panic washing over Daryl and Carol. They whipped their heads around towards the source of the sound. Judith was frozen in place, staring straight ahead at a walker that had picked up the sound of her footsteps. Angry, ugly, and snarling, it pressed its face against the fence, sticking its fingers through the holes in a desperate attempt to reach the young girl. She was far out of its reach, but close enough to see it in detail. Rooted to the spot, she continued to scream in pure terror, tears pouring down her face.

Daryl and Carol sprinted as fast as they could toward Judith. Daryl reached her first, shoving her behind him and taking the walker out with his crossbow. By the time Carol caught up, panicked and close to tears, Daryl was kneeling in front of Judith who was now hysterical with fright.

"Judith. Listen to me. Did it touch you? Goddammit, did it touch you?"

She shook her head, heaving in sobs. Her hands shaking, Carol turned her around and inspected every inch of her for signs of a scratch, her heart racing in her chest, fearing the absolute worst. Nothing. Carol took Judith in her arms, hugging her tightly as Judith sobbed and cried, shaking all over. Picking her up, she carried the hysterical girl into the prison, fighting the urge not to cry herself. How could she have possibly be so stupid as to take her eyes off of her?

"It's okay baby, it's okay...sssssshhhh..."

"Carol. Let me take her."

Carol, her eyes filling with tears, handed Judith to Daryl who cradled her like a baby in his arms. He walked ahead of her, Judith's sobs turning into shaking, hiccuping breaths. The sun was just beginning to set over the treeline as they finally made it back inside.

Rick and Glenn were due to be home from a supply run soon. Maggie, Beth, and Hershel were out on a walk. Judith had stopped crying, but was still trembling, even when Daryl laid her down on her small bed, small enough to fit inside Rick's cell alongside his. There were plenty of cells that Judith could use close to everyone else's, but even now, they had to be cautious. As Carol hesitantly made her way into the room, she stopped in the doorway as Daryl began to sing in a low voice.

"Hey Jude

Don't make it bad

Take a sad song

And make it better..."

Carol stood in the doorway, listening as Daryl sung Judith into a peaceful sleep. She knew Judith would undoubtedly have nightmares tonight. Carol found herself once again gulping back tears. She felt awful. Carol could barely handle the first time that she experienced a walker, and she had been a grown woman. Judith was only a toddler. She had gotten lucky, she could have-

Carol shoved the thought out of her head, the very thought making her feel violently sick to her stomach.

When Judith had finally drifted off to sleep, Daryl stood up, sighing to himself. He spotted Carol leaning against the doorway, and shifted uncomfortably.

"I sing like shit," he grumbled, not meeting her eyes as they left Judith's room. Carol didn't answer. He sung beautifully, but she wasn't in the mood to talk. A dull, nauseous ache resided in her stomach at the thought of what could have happened. She would have to tell Rick.

"Daryl?"

He turned back to her as he headed upstairs. "What?"

"W-what if...what if it had gotten her? What would we-"

"Shut up!" he snapped suddenly, looking enraged. Carol hadn't seen this angry in months. She recoiled at his sudden outburst, more so startled than anything else. He stalked forward. For one tiny moment, she thought he was going to hit her. Some fears, she would realize later, never truly went away. But he didn't lay a finger on her. Instead, he shoved his face up at hers, glaring at her angrily.

"That is not going to happen, you understand?!"

He refused to acknowledge any alternative. It was too painful and too scary. Judith was always going to be alright, no matter what happened, as long as he was there. Carol gently took his hand, hoping to calm him down, causing his face to go slightly pink.

"I know," she said. "She'll be okay...we'll be okay."

His face softened and he nodded curtly, deciding to sit beside her at the table outside the cell. She kept hold of his hand, and he made no move to pull it away. Despite the nausea in her stomach, Carol found herself wondering what would happen to the group if Judith died.

There would be no group anymore, she realized. For the past three years, little Judith had been a beacon of hope for the remaining survivors. She smiled, she laughed, she cried, and it gave everybody a sense of purpose. Everyone now had one goal: keep Judith safe and happy. If they failed that goal, what was to become of them?

Carol rested her head on Daryl's shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, drawing her closer. As they sat there in the silence of the prison, Daryl began to softly sing the remainder of the song;

"...Remember

To let her into your heart

Then you can start

To make it better."


End file.
